Department for International Development: DEL

Baroness Northover: My right honourable friend the Secretary of State for International Development (Andrew Mitchell) has made the following Written Ministerial Statement.
	Subject to parliamentary approval of the necessary supplementary estimate, the Department for International Development's departmental expenditure limit (DEL) will be reduced by £13.0 million from £7,880.3 million to £7,867.3 million.
	Within the DEL change, the impact on resources and capital are as set out in the following table:
	
		
			  Change  New DEL  £'000 
			  Voted Non-voted Voted Non-voted Total 
			 Resource DEL -309.0 31.9 5,341.3 867.9 6,209.2 
			 of which:  
			 Administration budget -11.6 0 111.2 0 111.2 
			 Depreciation budget   21.0  21.0 
			 Capital DEL 264.1 0 1,658.1 0 1,658.1 
			 Total DEL -44.9 31.9 6,999.4 867.9 7,867.3 
		
	
	The change in the resource element of DEL arises from:
	Voted
	Transfers out to other government departments, including those relating to the jointly managed conflict pool. These sit on Department for International Development's baseline but is shared between the Department for International Development, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and the Ministry of Defence. Budget transfers relate to expenditure managed by these other government departments.
	£4.5 million transferred to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in respect of the tri-departmental conflict pool. This was funded from the original conflict pool allocation of £256.0 million, and £4.0 million was funded from DfID RDEL (given unforeseen pressures in Libya).
	£4.0 million transferred to Foreign and Commonwealth Office in respect of the tri-departmental conflict pool. This was in addition to the £4.5 million outlined above and was a result of unforeseen pressures in Libya.
	£2.1 million transferred to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in respect of approved funding to the Returns and Re-integration Fund.
	£2.6 million transferred to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) in respect of approved funding for DARWIN project.
	£1.9 million transferred to the Home Office in respect of approved contribution to ODA-eligible UK Border Agency (UKBA) funding.
	£0.9 million transferred to the Defra in respect of the Technical Contribution fund for the International Atomic Energy Agency.
	£10.0 million transferred to Defra in respect of DfID in respect of the overall ODA and international climate finance management strategy. An ODA/GNI target of 0.56 per cent was set out in DfID's CSR10 settlement letter, as was a climate change spending target of £275.0 million.
	£7.1 million transferred to Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) in respect of the overall ODA and international climate finance management strategy.
	£3.0 million transferred from the Department for Education to DfID in respect of a forecast underspend on ODA eligible budget.
	£247.0 million transferred internally from DfID's RDEL budget to DfID's CDEL budget in order to facilitate the deposit of the IDA 16 £300.0 million promissory note. This represented the first deposit towards the 16th replenishment of the International Development Association, the arm of the World Bank whose funding provides people with education, healthcare, clean water and access to economic opportunities in around 80 of the world's poorest countries. The UK has pledged £2.664 billion to cover the period from July 2011 to June 2014.
	Voted Summary
	
		
			 Net RDEL transfer to OGD's -£30.1 million 
			 Transfer to non-voted RDEL to support EC attribution -£31.9 million 
			 Transfer to DfID CDEL from DfID RDEL -£247.0 million 
			 Subtotal voted -£309.0 million 
		
	
	Non-voted
	Adjustment to the total of EC attribution
	Based on updated information of 2009 outturn made by EU directly on behalf of the UK the figure for the outturn of the 2009 EC attribution was £31.9 million higher than outlined in the 2011 main estimate. As such, an adjustment is required to reflect the new estimated amount for the non-voted EC attribution total.
	£31.9 million transferred from DfID in respect of a forecast underspend on ODA eligible budget.
	Non-voted summary
	
		
			 Increase in EC attributed aid £31.9 million 
			 Subtotal non-voted £31.9 million 
			 Total reductions in RDEL £277.1 million 
		
	
	The change in the capital element of DEL arises from:
	Voted
	Internal transfers from DfID RDEL to DfID CDEL, and transfers of CDEL from OGD's as part of previously stated RDEL to CDEL swaps.
	£10.0 million CDEL received from Defra in respect of the overall ODA and international climate finance management strategy.
	£7.1 million CDEL received from DECC in respect of the overall ODA and international climate finance management strategy.
	£247.0 million internal transfer from DfID RDEL to DfID CDEL. The majority of this internal swap is used partly to fund the £300.0 million promissory note to IDA 16, summarised earlier. DfID's contribution to IDA, like many other donors, is made by way of promissory note to enable the organisation to enter into commitments with the support of the promissory note but to ensure effective cash management and avoid large unutilised cash balances.
	Voted Summary
	
		
			 Transfer to DfID CDEL from DfID RDEL £247.0 million 
			 Transfer from OGD's to DfID CDEL £17.1 million 
			 Subtotal voted £264.1 million 
		
	
	Non-voted
	No CDEL non-voted adjustments
	Non-voted Summary
	
		
			 Subtotal non-voted £0 
			 Total increases in CDEL £264.1 million 
		
	
	DfID's annually managed expenditure (AME) budget is used to fund amendments to provision requirements and also fair value adjustments to financial instruments, notably DfID's existing loan portfolio. DfID's significant provisions include contributions towards the International Finance Facility for Immunisations (IFFIm) and Advance Market Commitments (AMC).
	Voted
	Adjustments have been made to reflect updated expectations of provision requirements and utilisation of provisions based on revised information. The most notable of these are in IFFIm and AMC provisions. DfID's provision requirements for IFFIm represent the net present value of committed payments to cover the UK share of currently issued bonds. This year bond issues are expected to be lower than originally forecast, due to lower anticipated demand for bonds as a result of the global economic circumstances. AMC's provision represents committed payments to fund supplier agreements signed to produce vaccines to meet demand. The value of agreements signed in the year is now lower than forecast at main estimate stage and a reduction in AME is expected for this reason.
	These reductions are offset by an expected increase in AME to cover fair value adjustments in loans, which are now treated as AME by way of the clear line of sight reform. The majority of DfID's loan debtor represents DfID's share of a euro-denominated portfolio of loans given to developing countries, which is administered by European Investment Bank (EIB). It is expected the valuation of this outstanding balance will reduce due to a combination of exchange rate movements, recognising the weakening of the euro against sterling, but also to reflect doubts over the recoverability of certain balances where the countries are in default or are expected to be given debt relief status.
	Expected net income from the sale of assets disposed of in the financial year is £1.6 million, and is Capital AME. This is included below.
	AME voted summary
	
		
			 Increase in utilisation of provisions -£10.9 million 
			 Increase in provision £3.4 million 
			 Income in AME Capital -£1.6 million 
			 Subtotal voted £9.1 million 
		
	
	No AME non-voted adjustments have been made
	AME non-voted summary
	
		
			 Sub total non-voted £0 
			 Total decrease AME £9.1 million

Firearms

Lord Henley: My right honourable friend the Secretary of State for the Home Department (Theresa May) has today made the following Written Ministerial Statement.
	Today I am launching a consultation on whether we need to change existing legislation or sentencing powers in relation to the importation and supply of illegal firearms. The consultation will run until 8 May 2012 and a consultation paper is available on the Home Office website. A copy of the consultation document will also be placed in the House Library.
	The United Kingdom has some of the toughest firearms laws in the world, sending a clear message that society will not tolerate gun crime. However while gun crime represents only a small proportion of all recorded crime, it has a serious impact on the communities affected by it. We believe that individuals who, while not using the firearms themselves, are responsible for making them available to other criminals should face tough and appropriate sentences.
	That is why in our Ending Gang and Youth Violence report the Government committed to undertaking further work to assess whether it is necessary and proportionate to introduce new offences for the supply and importation of firearms. The Government want to ensure that appropriate offences and sentences are in place to address gun crime and support practitioners in their work. Before committing to any action we want to ensure that we have correctly identified whether the existing legal framework is sufficient.
	We are therefore seeking views on whether current laws are robust enough to ensure that those who import, or supply firearms to criminals face tough and appropriate sentences for their crime.

Freedom of Information

Lord Wallace of Tankerness: My right honourable friend the Attorney-General has made the following Written Ministerial Statement.
	I have today given the Information Commissioner a certificate under Section 53 of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 (the Act). The certificate relates to the decision notices dated 12 September 2011 (ref. FS50347714) and 13 September 2011 (ref. FS50363603). It is my view, as an accountable person under the Act, that there was no failure by the Cabinet Office to comply with Section 1(1)(b) of the Act in these cases by withholding copies of the minutes of the Cabinet Ministerial Committee on Devolution to Scotland and Wales and the English Regions (DSWR) from 1997 and 1998.
	The consequence of my giving the Information Commissioner this certificate is that the commissioner's decision notices, which ordered disclosure of most of the DSWR minutes, cease to have effect.
	A copy of the certificate has been laid before each House of Parliament. I have additionally placed a copy of the certificate and a detailed statement of the reasons for my decision in the Libraries of both Houses, the Vote Office and the Printed Paper Office.
	This is only the third time the power under Section 53 (otherwise known as the veto) has been exercised since the Act came into force in 2005. In that time, central government has released an enormous amount of information in response to FOI requests-including in October 2010 the minutes of the Cabinet discussion of the Westland affair.
	My decision to exercise the veto in this case was not taken lightly but in accordance with the statement of government policy on the use of the executive override as it relates to information falling within the scope of Section 35(1) of the Act. I have placed a copy of that policy in the Libraries of both Houses.
	In line with that policy, I have both assessed the balance of the public interest in the disclosure and non-disclosure of these minutes, and considered whether this case meets the criteria set out in the statement of government policy for use of the veto.
	I consider that the public interest falls in favour of non-disclosure and that disclosure would be damaging to the doctrine of collective responsibility and detrimental to the effective operation of Cabinet government. I have concluded, in light of the criteria set out in the Government's policy, that this constitutes an exceptional case and that the exercise of the veto is warranted. A detailed explanation of the basis on which I arrived at the conclusion that the veto should be used is set out in my statement of reasons.

Questions for Written and Oral Answer: Costs

Lord Sassoon: My honourable friend the Economic Secretary to the Treasury (Chloe Smith) has today made the following Written Ministerial Statement.
	The Treasury has conducted its annual indexation exercise of the cost of Oral and Written Parliamentary Questions so as to ensure that these costs are increased in line with increases in underlying costs. The revised costs, which will apply from today, are: Oral Answers £450; Written Questions £164. The disproportionate cost threshold (DCT) for Written Questions will increase to £850.

Search and Rescue Helicopter Service

Earl Attlee: My honourable friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Transport (Mike Penning) has made the following Ministerial Statement.
	On 13 July 2011 the Department for Transport commenced a procurement competition for search and rescue helicopter services to replace the existing contracted Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) capability. The procurement process has now concluded, and I wish to inform the House of the results.
	A contract has been signed to operate search and rescue services from Stornoway and Shetland with Bristow Helicopters LTD. A separate contract has been signed with CHC Scotia LTD to operate search and rescue services from the Maritime and Coastguard Agency bases at Portland and Lee on the Solent. Operations under both contracts will commence by the time the existing MCA service contract expires, and will continue until June 2017. Both contracts will be managed by the MCA.
	As I announced on 28 November, procurement is now under way for longer-term arrangements that will see search and rescue contracted nationally. Operations will commence under these longer-term arrangements during 2015 and the future contractor for the UK will assume responsibility for the MCA capability during 2017

Terrorism: Finance

Lord Sassoon: My honourable friend the Financial Secretary to the Treasury (Mark Hoban) has today made the following Written Ministerial Statement.
	Following consultation with other relevant departments and agencies, the Treasury are today publishing the Government's response to David Anderson's first report on the operation of the Terrorist Asset-Freezing etc. Act 2010. This will be laid before the House today as a command paper.

Lord Sassoon: My honourable friend the Financial Secretary to the Treasury (Mark Hoban) has made the following Written Ministerial Statement.
	Under the Terrorist Asset-Freezing etc. Act 2010 (TAFA 2010), the Treasury is required to report quarterly to Parliament on its operation of the UK's asset-freezing regime mandated by UN Security Council Resolution 1373.
	This is the fourth report under the Act and it covers the period from 1 October 2011 to 31 December 2011. This report also covers the UK implementation of the UN al-Qaeda asset-freezing regime.
	Follow up to independent reviewer's report
	Following recommendations made by David Anderson QC, the independent reviewer, in his report on the operation of the Terrorist Asset-Freezing etc. Act 2010 published on 15 December 2011, the Treasury has revised the content and format of the quarterly report to provide additional information.
	This report has been revised to take account of the independent reviewer's recommendation to publish more information about the operation of the domestic asset-freezing regime. This information can be found in the table and text below. In accordance with the recommendation at paragraph 11.5 of the independent reviewer's report, the lists at the end of this Statement provide a breakdown by name of all those designated by the UK and the EU in pursuance of UN Security Council Resolution 1373.
	The Treasury has also decided to report more fully on the operation of the EU asset-freezing regime in the UK under EU Regulation (EC) 2580/2001, which implements UNSCR 1373 against external terrorist threats to the EU. Under this regime, the EU has responsibility for designations and the Treasury has responsibility for licensing and compliance with the regime in the UK under Part 1 of TAFA 2010.
	The Treasury has published its response to the independent reviewer's report today (8 February 2012), and the next quarterly report will provide an update on implementation of other recommendations that impact on the operation of the asset-freezing regime in the UK.
	Additional information, where available, is also provided for the al-Qaeda regime in the revised format adopted to meet the independent reviewer's recommendation.
	The following table sets out the key asset-freezing activity in the UK during the quarter ending 31 December 2011:
	
		
			  TAFA 2010 EU Reg(EC) 2580/2001 al-Qaeda regime UNSCR 1989 
			 Assets frozen (as at 31/12/2011) £33,000 £11,000 £72,0001 
			 Number of accounts frozen in UK (at 31/12/11) 70 10 39 
			 New accounts frozen 0 0 0 
			 Accounts unfrozen 4 0 2 
			 Number of designations (at 31/12/11) 42 51 343 
			 (i) new designations (during Q4 2011) 5 5 1 
			 (ii) Delistings 1 1 1 
			 (iii) individuals in custody in UK 15 0 3 
			 (iv) individuals in UK, not in detention 5 0 7 
			 (v) individuals overseas 14 26 242 
			 (vi) groups 8 (0 in UK) 25 91 (2 in UK) 
			 Renewal of designation 1 n/a n/a 
			 General Licences
			 (i) Issued in Q4  (i) 0  
			 (ii) Amended  (ii) 5  
			 (iii) Revoked  (iii) 0  
			 Specific Licences
			 (i) Issued (i) 4 (i) 0 (i) 1 
			 (ii) Revoked (ii) 9 (ii) 0 (ii) 2 
		
	
	1 This figure reflects the most up-to-date account balances available and includes approximately $64,000 of suspected terrorist funds frozen in the UK. This has been converted using exchange rates as of 04.01.12.
	The key areas of activity during the quarter were:
	the Treasury made five new designations under TAFA 2010. These were in respect of Hamed Abdollahi, Manssor Arbabsiar, Abdul Reza Shahlai, Ali Gholam Shakuri, and Qasem Soleimani; and were the first new designations made under TAFA 2010. The five individuals were subsequently listed under EU Regulation 2580/2001;two reviews of existing designations were completed during the quarter, which resulted in the delisting of Ismail Bhuta and the renewal of designation of Bilal Abdullah; nine licences were revoked following the delisting of Ismail Bhuta; and the decrease in balances since the last quarter follows delistings made and licences issued (under which frozen funds have been released).
	The Al-Qaeda (Asset-Freezing) Regulations 2011 were introduced in November to replace the Al-Qaeda and Taliban (Asset-Freezing) Regulations 2010, following the split of the al-Qaeda and Afghanistan regimes agreed by the UN in June 2011.
	Legal challenges
	Two legal challenges against designations made under both the Terrorism (United Nations Measures) Order 2009 and TAFA 2010 were ongoing in the quarter covered by this report. There were no specific developments during the quarter in the cases brought by Zana Rahim and Ismail Bhuta. No new challenges were made against the Treasury during the quarter.
	Proceedings
	In the quarter to 31 December 2011, no proceedings were initiated in respect of breaches of the prohibitions of the Act or the Al-Qaeda (Asset-Freezing) Regulations 2011.
	(i) Designated persons under TAFA 2010 by name2
	Individuals
	1. Hamed Abdollahi
	2. Bilal Talal Abdullah
	3. Habib Ahmed
	4. Imad Khalil al-Alami
	5. Abdula Ahmed Ali
	6. Abdelkarim Hussein al-Nasser
	7. Ibrahim Salih al-Yacoub
	8. Manssor Arbabsiar
	9. Selman Bozkur
	10. Usama Hamdan
	11. Nabeel Hussain
	12. Tanvir Hussain
	13. Zahoor Iqbal
	14. Umar Islam
	15. Hasan Izz-al-Din
	16. Parviz Khan
	17. Waheed Arafat Khan
	18. Osman Adam Khatib
	19. Musa Abu Marzouk
	20. Gulam Mastafa
	21. Khalid Mishaal
	22. Khalid Shaikh Mohammed
	23. Ramzi Mohammed
	24. Sultan Muhammad
	25. Yassin Omar
	26. Hussein Osman
	27. Zana Abdul Rahim
	28. Muktar Mohammed Said
	29. Assad Sarwar
	30. Ibrahim Savant
	31. Abdul Reza Shahlai
	32. Ali Gholam Shakuri
	33. Qasem Soleimani
	34. Waheed Zaman
	Entities
	1. Basque Fatherland and Liberty (EtA)
	2. Ejercito de Liberacion Nacional (ELN).
	3. Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia (FARC)
	4. Hizballah Military Wing, including External Security Organisation
	5. Holy Land Foundation for Relief and Development
	6. Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine-General Command (PFLP-GC)
	7. Popular Front for The Liberation Of Palestine (PFLP)
	8. Sendero Luminoso (SL)
	2 For full listing details please refer to http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/d/terrorism.htm.
	(ii) Persons designated by the EU under Council Regulation (EC)2580/20013
	Persons
	1. Hamed Abdollahi*
	2. Rabah Naami Abou
	3. Maisi Aboud
	4. Abdelkarim Hussein al-Nasser*
	5. Ibrahim Salih al-Yacoub*
	6. Manssor Arbabsiar*
	7. Kamel Arioua
	8. Mohamed Asli
	9. Rabah Asli
	10. Mohammed Bouyeri
	11. Noureddine Darib
	12. Abderrahmane Djabali
	13. Sofiane Yacine Fahas
	14. Hasan Izz-al-Din*
	15. Khalid Shaikh Mohammed*
	16. Fateh Moktari
	17. Farid Nouara
	18. Hoari Ressous
	19. Noureddine Sedkaoui
	20. Abdelghani Selmani
	21. Sofiane Senouci
	22. Abdul Reza Shahlai*
	23. Ali Gholam Shakuri*
	24. Qasem Soleimani*
	25. Mohammed Tinguali
	26. Jason Theodore Walters
	Groups and Entities
	1. Abu Nidal Organisation (ANO)
	2. Al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigade
	3. Al-Aqsa e.V.
	4. Al-Takfir and Al-Hijra
	5. Babbar Khalsa
	6. Communist Party of the Philippines, including New People's Army (NPA), Philippines
	7. Gama'a al-Islamiyya (a.k.a. al-Gama'a al-Islamiyya) (Islamic Group-IG)
	8. Islami Büyük Dogu Akincilar Cephesi (IBDA-C) (Great Islamic Eastern Warriors Front)
	9. Hamas, including Hamas-Izz al-Din al-Qassem
	10. Hizbul Mujahideen (HM)
	11. Hofstadgroep
	12. Holy Land Foundation for Relief and Development*
	13. International Sikh Youth Federation (ISYF)
	14. Khalistan Zindabad Force (KZF)
	15. Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) (aka Kongra-Gel)
	16. Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE)
	17. Ejército de Liberación Nacional (National Liberation Army)*
	18. Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ)
	19. Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP)*
	20. Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine-General Command (PFLP-GC)*
	21. Fuerzas armadas revolucionarias de Colombia (FARC)*
	22. Devrimci Halk Kurtulu Partisi-Cephesi-DHKP/C (Revolutionary People's Liberation Army/Front/Party)
	23. Sendero Luminoso (SL) (Shining Path)*
	24. Stichting al Aqsa
	25. Teyrbazen Azadiya Kurdistan (TAK)
	3 For full listing details please refer to http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/d/terrorism.htm
	* EU listing rests on UK designation under TAFA 2010